The king greatly encouraged Islamic learning, especially at Timbuktu, which, with its mosques, universities, and many Koranic schools, became not only the holiest city in the Sudan region of West Africa but also an internationally famous centre of culture and religious study.
. In a time when an invasion of main- land Japan was necessary to end the war, Okinawa was an essential prepara- tion ground and jumping-off point for the impending invasion.
